Orc chicks: they’re awesome! I love Skyrim’s orcs. Is that Borgakh? What an awesome action shot outside Robber’s Glen. They look great together! Plus with different weapon choices they won’t have to argue over loot.

Holy crap, that giant went up onto the porch?! No wonder the damned pies never stay on the table! That picture is very cool. D’Eon looks small but mighty against that giant!

Wow, she was fun to watch against the Volskygge bosses. Awesome timing with the shield bashing. I remember Zuuri’s desperate fight against the dragon priest all over that hill. D’Eon did not let him get away from her!

Shortcut: Oh my gosh, my stomach really flipped over! Nice.

Bunny!! Awww. Of all my characters’ kids, only one has brought home a pet (mudcrab). I think a wooden sword is a good choice considering how close the bunny is to the practice dummy. No daedric dagger for you, miss!

The action shots are especially cool with the shock effect outlining the bad guys. Really neat. That shield looks awesome with D’Eon’s armor.

Lol, Falkreath is known for its graveyard and man-candy. Looks like D’Eon got there in time for a parade.

By Mara! When D’Eon ran off the cliff I had no idea how far down it was or what awaited her at the bottom! She’s got some stones! (?) Whew, into the water unharmed. Wow!

Cockroaches – Orkin D’Eon takin’ it to the snow bugs.

Bunnies: D’Eon wearing Triss + ‘daughter’ with wooden sword + bunny = adorable!

Raining men – She looks well-escorted.

Blue eyes – I guess D’Eon is just not old Daryl’s type. From your other characters, I’m almost used to seeing him being an ally.

Just liked this one – Oh, me too. What a magnificent shot of that gorgeous armor she wears!

Dance floor – Something tells me her dancing partner won’t be walking off the floor.

Serana – Another beautiful shot of that plate armor! I see Serana’s got that Elder Scroll strapped to her back. I remember some about the alluring vampire with the nice voice from KC’s vids.

Grits: I love how the Sky orcs look. I was never thrilled with the pig look from the previous games.

That jump is one of my favorites in the game, tied with the one off Bard's Leap Summit.

That is indeed Borghak. She just seemed like a good fit for Durga, being big and green and all.

I was surprised when the giant went up the porch too. I thought it would be safe up there!

Sofie's bunny is only the second time one of the kids has brought home a pet. I think the other time it was a fox, but I cannot remember for sure. I keep looking for Sammy the Skeever in the basement, but so far there have been no infestations in D'Eon's game.

D'Eon gave Sofie a Dragon Priest dagger shortly after that pic with the wooden sword and the practice dummy! Well, at least it wasn't Mehrunes Razor...


Acadian: D'Eon may indeed have some stones, but if she is, she's not telling! That was a fun jump off that cliff.

I have almost gotten used to to Darryl being a pal too, after playing Persehpone and Revansch. It did get confusing sometimes when they were fighting draugr, and Darryl was mixed up with the others.

Just Liked This One was one of those pics that sort of just leapt out at me and said "Hit printscreen!" It was not posed or planned, D'Eon just looked good there.


Take a walk on the wild side

These Thalmor fellows certainly are 'high' elves...

Old Blue Eyes is back... but not for long

Fire!

I was also curious to see how Persephone would look in the white version of the Eisen Platte armor

The Greek house: That would be lovely! Now, where to put it? Somewhere

Leap: Yeah, not even a Khajiit is that crazy!

Aravi shares D’Eon’s opinion on Falmer. They are savage.

The Rabbit! Was that a pet they brought home? I’ve never actually played with an adopted child because Aravi doesn’t feel right about it.

I just saw a huge number of guards in my game.

I’ve always thought the Ebony shield looked small. It kind of suits D’Eon that way though. More of a buckler look.

Glow, looking for a dangerous lover?

Wildside, is that in big daddy vamp’s castle?

That elf is huge!

I think I actually like this white armor on her better than the black armor. Doesn’t really look like ebony though.

Take a Walk – Wow, I love the beam of light coming in and little floaty motes. Both ladies look simply stunning! Thanks to you and KC, I readily recognize Serana and could even pick out her voice and some of her mannerisms I’m sure. This screen is certainly desktop/screensaver-worthy.

Thalmer – By Kynareth’s wings, that guy sure is tall! I see D’Eon has to crane her neck just like a wood elf.

Blue Eyes – I’m just glad D’Eon has a shield and knows how to use it!

Fire – Magic hands!

White armor – No surprise that it looks both appropriate and great on Purse Phone.

King Coin: The Greek House would probably be a great Cyrodillic-styled home. Or maybe a Khajiit one? It would probably be ideal for the badlands of Elsewyr.

The rabbit was a pet that Sophie brought home. That is only the second time one of the kids has brought home a pet.

I think D'Eon showed up just in time for the changing of the guard shift at the gate, and there were actually three leaving, and three other ones coming. It sure seemed like an army of them though!

That was indeed big daddy vamp's castle, the foyer where you first walk inside.


Acadian: The little motes floating around in the air, and the slanting beams of light, are examples of Skyrim's improved lighting system. It is a lot more dynamic than Oblivion's, especially when it comes to things like shadows and multiple light sources.

I couldn't believe how big that Altmer looked either. I suppose part of it is just that D'Eon is a Breton, so she's the shortest race. But still, that guy was a skyscraper. The other thing that surprised me was that the guy was in glass armor. The Thalmor usually wear elven.

I thought the white version might suit Persehone's white skin. The Ancient Falmer Armor (that Mielikki wears) is also a good look on her as well.


Tinkering with Dwarven Stuff

Sammy the Friendly Skeever now lives in D'Eon's basement!

I have been doing some experimenting with character ideas, mostly inspired by the Classes and Builds topic

Inanna is an unarmored two-handed fighter

Oya is an unarmored one-handed fighter

Pinga is an old idea I have been kicking around for a Falmer hunter

Pinga in Falmer Hardened Armor

Wild side: What a gorgeous shot. D’Eon’s courtly look could put the castle to shame in its current state of vamp-ness. I’m glad that D’Eon’s armor covers her neck. That’s a beautiful picture!

Wow, that Altmer guard is part giant! That place (if I’m identifying it correctly) is a gold mine after a certain level with all of the glass gear. I think Rowan bought a house after her “visit.” Thalmor in glass armor sparked the idea for my favorite Altmer character, Bane the frost juggernaut. When you bulk up a high elf they’re absolutely huge.

Old blue eyes, wow there’s a lot of magic going on here! Is that Jyrik Gauldurson? D’Eon is awesome!

How fun to see D’Eon wielding fire and Serana with a sword! I think D’Eon would be a very good influence on Serana. That vampire chick tends to get gloomy.

I love how Persephone looks in the white armor. It has the warrior look but also the refinement that would help show Persephone has left the filthy tomb in her past.

Ooo, Dwarven stuff is a neat shot. I love how those ruins are so steamy and colorful after the cold and snow outside.

Sammy!!! Yay. Congrats on the new addition!

Neat, I’ve never tried an unarmored two-handed fighter, just unarmored one-handed. The speed/stamina makes tremendous fun. Sprinting power attacks, yay! I really like Oya’s outfit. Is she a Redguard?

Pinga looks great in both Falmer armors. She looks quieter in the barefoot one. Will she use alchemy? I like the notion of using the Falmer’s poisons and materials against them.

Tinkering is right! What a beautiful Dwarven setup there. Reminds me a bit of the Orrery back in the Arcane University.

I’m glad Sammy’s friendly – but I’ll bet that rabbit’s even gladder!

Your sword fighters look good! Like you, I think the best thing about two handed long swords is dancing around nimbly to exploit its range without getting hit. Unarmored is in keeping with that. For the one hander, it seems to make fine sense to strive again for quick nimbleness, but some protection is needed – and a shield seems to do nicely.

Pinga looks great. Skyrim really did a nice job with both the Argonians and Khajiit.

Grits: D'Eon is glad her armor covers her neck too! Not that she is worried about Serana. She never drinks blood after all. It's not like she's a vampire or anything.

That giant Altmer was at North Watch Keep (where the Thalmor holds that Greymane 'kid' prisoner). I was stunned at how huge that guy was. Part of it must be the armor. All the guards were in full glass too.

An Altmer named Bane! How perfect!

I am not sure if that draugr was Jyrik or not. It might have been. D'Eon finished up the Gaulder questline about the same time as that pic. But then again, she went up against a lot of other draugr in the process too.

D'Eon probably would be good at bringing Serana out of her shell and teaching her to loosen up some. It is funny, because the one time I did the DG questline all the way through was with Helregin, a vampire, and Serana was the one being a good influence on her instead. It is kind of nice to have it happen in reverse.

Oya is a Redguard. I played her for a little bit so far. She is all speed and movement. Challenging, and fun. I put together her outfit based solely upon appearance of course. It is all earth tones that go with her skin. The only thing that sticks out is her sword. But since she's a Redguard, I wanted her to have a curved sword. Curved, sword.

Pinga's barefoot picture is actually wearing the regular Falmer boots. I never noticed it before, but they do not cover the feet, just the ankles. Those wacky corrupted elves. She is based all around the idea of turning the Falmer's own weapons against them.


Acadian: The place in tinkering is a lot like the Orrery. Only even more fun to watch in action. I think the Mages Guild questline has a similar dwarven contraption in it.

I was thinking that about the pet bunny too!

I still have not gotten to play the three new ideas much at all. But it was interesting to work on them. I have never done an unarmored fighter in Skyrim, so its a new challenge. I have always wanted a Falmer-gear character too, so Pinga has been on the backburner for ages.


Hervor has insisted I play her some more

Giving a bandit a shave

How Hervor would have looked if she had lived 4,000 years ago

The bigger they come...

I am thinking of doing the Dawnguard questline with Hervor, just because of how this looks.

Tinkering – Finally played a dragonborn?

Sammy – I wish I had a Sammy! I think one of the unofficial patches “fixed” him. I see the rabbit too!

Of the three new characters presented I am most interested in the Argonian. A hunter that wears the armor of its prey. There isn’t a happy medium between the two armors. The hardened armor looks too bulky, and the regular armor looks like it leaves her unprotected. If she uses the regular, I suggest armoring spells!

Looks like I got Ninja'd, I'll be back!

It’s fun to see the Viking Hervor again as she goes about creating flesh carvings with her blade.

I’m torn with her. On one hand, I want to more of her pretty face and hair; on the other hand, I recognize that perhaps a helm helps keep both intact, given her line of work.

Wow, that Dwemer Transformer dude is big indeed!

Dawnguard – Painting one’s face to match one’s armor takes fashion to a whole new level!

King Coin: No Dragonborns here. You have to get the elder scroll in order to do the Danwguard questline.

Sammy may have been hostile to start with. I wasn't ready for the skeevers when D'Eon stepped into the cellar. The next thing I knew Serana was throwing lightning and ice spikes all over the place. I hit the Kyne's Peace spell, and got out of the cellar before all of them were dead. Then when I went back, I found the one left, and he has been friendly ever since. He might have been that way to start, or maybe he glitched when I did the Kyne's Peace and then instantly left.


Acadian: The helmet is just part of Hervor. She does not feel right without it. Sort of like Judge Dredd, only she is not the law.

Those Dwemer Transformers used to terrify me. But they really are not that hard to kill. Especially if you are fast and dance around really close to them. They often literally cannot hit you.

That was actually picking the armor based solely upon how it matched her face paint!


Hervor is glad that her Amulet of Kynareth makes these critters friendly

Off to join the Dawnguard

Putting it to a gargoyle

About to take a plunge

Hervor plays Halo, Elder Scrolls style

It’s old news by now, but Hervor looks so good in the red DG gear I’m sure she demands some more play time!

I found some leather pants from this mod that can be worn under armor, so the miniskirt armors look a little more comfortable now. Even Jensa does not like bare knees in Skyrim’s brush and stone floors.

It took a minute to find Hervor with the big bronze guy! I bet she found his Off button.

Aww, nice shot with the friendly bears!

What a great view of Hervor and Fort Dawnguard under that sky.

Yep, she looks awesome in the armor! I like how it fits a little bit like her old quilted tunic.

Nice to see her blue eyes intact as she takes the plunge. I wonder if I’ll ever have a character who makes the other choice.

Very cool with the moths. You’re making me want to visit there again!

Yay for Kynareth! Those bears look like they’d certainly be handy to have on Hervor’s side.

Dawnguard is a fabulous shot of the Viking lass. And such a beautiful sky flanking the Matterhorn!

Gargoyle really shows the fine detail on Hervor’s helm. It is starting to grow on me.

Plunge. Hmm, that looks like vampie Serana stuff? The shot nicely showcases the front of that lamellar cuirass.

Oooh! Flutterbyes!

The last couple of times I've been to Avanchzel, there have been three of those, (not counting the one that's already down), but two of them have been frozen in place. They show as hostile, but don't move, and are also indestructible. Any follower ends up getting stuck in a futile attempt to attack them, until I disable them with the console. I've also found a live Breya standing there watching the fight! She couldn't be interacted with in any way, and the centurion didn't appear to be inclined to attack her.

The centurions' reactions are a bit slow, and I've more than once retrieved Mjoll's Grimsever by just running past the one guarding it. Once you have that, of course, you might as well take him down!

Hervor insists: Back to the Viking! I like how simple her outfits and weapons look.

Shave: It really does look like that. Hope he held still for her!

4000 years ago: The female helmet is the best part of the ancient Nord armors.

She looks really good in the Dawnguard armor too.

Kynareth: Aravi usually has to yell at them before they settle down.

Dawnguard: Yay! A fun questline and a pretty picture.

Plunge: Good luck to her. Aravi did not like that place and hasn’t returned since.

I think I took some very similar screens when Aravi had the moths around her. That was surprisingly cool, considering they were just bugs following you around. They start to make it difficult to see towards the end too.

Grits: I decided to play her through the DG questline just because of how she looks in that armor!

Sadly, the pants from that armor does not fit my characters. I am not using the body files for UNP, and I think that is why it clips through the legs really badly. Maybe I might try using the UNP skinny body though.

Hervor started out with no way to keep the wildlife friendly. So she was killing every wolf and bear she came across. She is thankful for not having to do that anymore. It makes up for not being able to use the necklace slot for another enchantment.

I will never have another vampire character. I just did not like how Bethesda handles vampires, from how it makes you ugly, to simply how vampirism works. I was using mods to improve things, but even with them it was ultimately dissatisfying. So blue eyes all the way for Hervy!


Acadian: Sometimes she does get animals charging into the fray to help her out now that she has her amulet of Kynareth. A couple wolves helped out against a roadside thief a while back. Since she was afraid of hitting the wolves if she swung her sword, Hervor just repeatedly shield bashed the guy, and let the wolves finish him off.

The helm definitely grew on me. It has a nice shape, and looks like something an Anglo-Saxon or Migration-Era German might wear.

Taking the plunge is indeed a vamp dungeon, with Serana in the background. That is the entrance to the Soul Cairn, where you have to decide whether or not you want her to make you into a vampire, or to partially soul trap you to get inside.


ghastley: There is supposed to be a final ghostly scene that plays out for your when you walk in the final boss room at Avanchnzel. It is supposed to show how the final mercenary slays one of the giant centurions, then gets killed by the other one, while the Argonian takes the lexicon and flees. But it is broken, and never plays. My bet is that you somehow glitched it to start the centurions that are supposed to be reserved for the cutscene, only without the ghostly effects.

At first I was terrified of those giant robots. But lately I have come to find that they are not that tough after all. They are really easy to dance around with the melee fighter, so that they never even touch you. Their overall health does not seem to be that high either.


King Coin: My whole concept with Hervor was to have that ordinary (viking) girl next door look. She is the first character whom I have ever wanted to wear the Dawnguard armor. It just looks too mundane for my other characters. But it fits her perfectly.

I am rolling at Aravi yelling at the bears! I don't even know the words for that shout.

I have liked the soul cairn. It looks appropriately creepy and desolate, like a place that lost souls would be trapped in for eternity.



Serana was practically begging to have her picture taken here

The land that time forgot

Forgotten vale

Icy rift

Charging in

Charging in, another angle

Final showdown

Light vs. Darkness

Lets go get some shawarma

I actually enjoyed the Soul Cairn too, I just can’t find a reason for Aravi to return there. She hated it.

Serana is looking intrepid in that first picture.

I looooooved the Forgotten Vale. If it wasn’t so remote, I would put a house there. Maybe I could make a way to teleport there that makes sense.

I liked the Dawngaurd armor even though it looks plain. It really suits this character. Does she wear the heavy or light version?

Light vs. Dark is amazing!

Serana looks great! Quite the poseur.

Yikes, those are icy, but beautiful settings. Brrrr!

Charging in (x2) really shows Hervor’s Viking gear off wonderfully.

And some spectacular light effects there. That is a neat looking sword that Serana has.

King Coin: I wish you could visit the Forgotten Vale without doing the DG questline. It is such a great place, but only two of my characters have ever been there because you have to do all that DG stuff beforehand.

Hervor wears the light version. I think the only real difference is the heavy version has big plate pauldrons. There are also only two colors in heavy: white and grey. The light version is the only one with a red color, which she needed to go with her facepaint.

Light vs. Dark was just one of those great moments where everything just came together for a really dramatic shot.


Acadian: Serana was showing off in that first pic! I think she secretly wants to be a supermodel.

The Forgotten Vale is indeed a cold place. But the beauty of it warms you heart.

Serana's sword is a glass sword. It has a fire enchantment that gives it those little red flecks.


I have been playing Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning lately. It has taken some getting used to, but I am finally getting the hang of it. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a command console, and I have not found any way to hide the UI to take screenshots.

Morrigan is a pure mage

She can also summon up Darryl for a sidekick

Morrigan was wondering where the local skank was, and this arrow appeared...

Woot! Getting to to peek under the hood of a different game! I've heard of this one and looked into it a little. So many games, so little time, given that when one ensnares me I tend to spend a decade or so there . . .

The characters look great and the environment looks very nice. That forest behind Morrigan and Darryl looks magically elven enough to die for!

Thanks again for sharing!

What an interesting treat. I’d be happy to know what you think of this game! There are not many games that allow people access to ‘cheats’ and that’s definitely something I hope Bethesda keeps doing.

It looks to have a Dragon Age and MMO combat style, just by looking at the UI. The character designs seem nice. She’s got ears bigger than Buffy’s!

The Dawnguard armor is one of my very favorites, along with the steel plate. Hervor’s down-to-Nirn look has always appealed to me.

Lol, I imagine that Serana is looking at Hervor in this one. I guess Hervor’s look appeals to Serana, too!

Oh, the Forgotten Vale is gorgeous! It’s been a long time since I went through there. That’s enough to get me to do the Dawnguard questline. I can’t wait to go there with some characters who have a real camping kit!!

Hervor leads the charge! Nice armored troll. I forgot that Jerric had one with him in his long-neglected Xbox game, and when I loaded it to see where he was the damn thing scared the crap out of me. Not what you expect to see (or hear) in the streets of Riften.

Outstanding shield choice, and the helm looks awesome. Charging in 2 is my favorite, because you can see how Hervor’s war paint looks so damn fine!! Woo! *ahem*

Final showdown is a fabulous shot! The matching pose makes the contrasts between Serena and Hervor really stand out. Even the color of their blades.

Light vs. Darkness is one of those stunning shots that just looks perfect. That one will stick in my memory. Wow.

Shawarma, nice.

Kingdoms of Amalur looks beautiful. I have no experience with non-TES games, but I recognize proper elf-ears when I see them! The skank indicator arrow made me LOL.

Acadian: Kingdoms of Amalur was interesting. I did like how the characters looked too. They are much better than any vanilla ES game. But there were just too many things about it I did not like, especially the combat, so I did not stick with it for very long.


King Coin: I made a big write-up about KoA in the What Are You Playing thread. It has its good points and bad points. I just started playing Dragon Age: Origins, and I am noticing a lot of similarities between the two. It makes me wonder if the KoA people were copying from Bioware.

I have heard a lot of people say the UI looks like an MMO's. I do not play MMO's so I do not know. But to me it just looks like an RPG game. Most of the old school ones like Neverwinter Nights or Baldur's Gate had a lot more of the interface on the screen than that. Even a game as new as Dragon Age Origins is about the same. More actually, since it has all the pictures of the party going down the left side of the screen as well.


Grits: Serana was definitely showing off for someone in that pic. It might have been for the Snow Elf Paladin though...

I am not sure who dragged the troll along. Probably the animal trainer guy. Hervor never used them. I tried them once as a summoning with a previous character, and they were not much use. They spend half the time jumping up and down and beating their hands on their chests rather than fighting. It got really annoying when people were attacking me and my troll was throwing a hissy fit with his fleas.

That is a new shield I worked into my Matherian Viking Shields Lite mod. I added in three more, so now they not only replace the Iron, Steel, Banded Iron, and Hide shields, but I also made a couple of entirely new ones that I called Leather and Banded Leather (for lack of better names). I even put them in the bandit item lists, so they are being used by more than just me.

That first moment when you step through the door to the Vampire Chapel is always a great place for screenshots. The lighting in front of the door makes for dramatic looks. I recall I had another great shot there of Serana and Helregin.

Light vs. Darkness came together nicely, since Harkon had the magic sphere thing going, and Hervor's spell absorption was going off at the same time. Plus the lighting and dramatic pose really worked.

I see someone got my reference to the post-credit Avengers scene...

I liked the big elf ears in KoA too. It makes it obvious that they are elves! I do mind them small though. I can go either way with my ears.

I could not resist the skank idea. Goddess, does every female character in a video game have to be dressed like a Victoria's Secret model? I am playing Dragon Age: Origins now, and there is another character whose outfit is even worse. I cannot look at her without wanting to laugh.


KoA could not hold my interest, so I fired up Dragon Age: Origins, and created a Mage. She is the short one in the middle.

Her name is Juno, can anyone guess what young up and coming actress she is based upon?

Juno finally got rid of the bright yellow quilt she was wearing and found a decent looking robe thing.

I did give DA-O a very solid try, dedicating almost six weeks to learning and playing it. Although there were certainly D&D elements that felt very familiar from the Baldurs Gate series, and the graphics for characters looked great, I just couldn’t get into it. I found trying to work the camera a constant distraction and absolutely hated the class restrictions. How dare one consider blending bow with magic! Survival seemed to force an archer to carry a blade. The concept of a scout was unworkable since there weren’t enough ‘points/mojo’ to have one character proficient with the skills necessary to skulk out front looking for foes, traps etc. I also really disliked the frequent surprise cutscenes that dropped me into having to make choices I didn’t want to make without thinking them over. So I would generally unhappily exit the game, think things over and restart from wherever I had last saved. That got pretty tedious. I’m so glad you’re getting some good use out of it though and many folks found it to be a great game.

My lack of Hollywood pop culture currency really shows as I confess that I don’t think I can name even one up and coming young actress.

The robe thing in Juno’s last shot does indeed look great!

Acadian: I know what you mean about DA:O. I have all the same complaints in fact. One thing I really dislike too is that the lighting is off in character creation, so the character you thought you make, does not look the same in the Real World. By then it is too late to do anything of course, except to sit through endless cinematics until you can go back and start all over again. *grrrr*

I don't want to give away the actress in case someone else guesses it. But I can give a hint that the character name I picked was based upon one of her roles (the one that made her famous in fact). Also, thanks to another movie of hers whenever I see the name Hurlock in the game, all I can think of are Hurl Scouts...



Out of curiosity, I made a few other characters to see what some of the other Origin stories are like. The first was Kalaratri, a Dwarven Noble Warrior.

I really love the way this armor looks. It is a shame you do not get to keep it.

I also created Nanaya, to try out a City Elf Rogue

A Hurl Scout loses his head

Ogre slayage

Well I think Juno looks like that actress who played Juno, but I don’t have a clue what her name is. I’d have to say she looks like that girl who was in that movie with the guy from that musical, which is a pretty typical Grits popular culture description, lol. Anyway she’s adorable.

I’ve never played DA:O, but we have it around here somewhere. My kids thought I would like it. Maybe I’ll get to it someday. I really like Nananya’s look.

I'm embarrassed to report the only famous and beautiful character named Juno that I know is one of the two giant dogs that belonged to the Swiss Family Robinson - Turk and Juno. I believe they were mastiffs in the book and great danes in the movie.

I am, however, very glad to see you getting some good mileage out of DA:O. I did like the character graphics and found it very easy to make an attractive character.

Kalaratri looks smaller than a wood elf – but quite a bit sturdier.

I really like the armor on Nanaya – it looks both attractive and effective for a light skirmisher. And Grits is right; she's a neat looking elf.

Nice action shots!

Grits: Juno is the actress who played Juno: Ellen Page. She has been in other things too. Like the one with the guy who was in the thing, with all the stuff? I just rewatched Whip It yesterday (a roller derby movie!), now I am going to have to rewatch Juno as well. Seriously though, her and Jennifer Lawrence are my two favorite young new actresses. And they have both played X-Men! Ellen Page is Shadowcat/Kitty Pride, and Jennifer Lawrence plays the younger version of Mystique in X-Men First Class.


Acadian: I am getting some mileage out of DA:O. It is nice to be getting my money's worth. Today I tried doing a rogue/archer character, and I remembered why I did not get far playing DA the first time around. Archery is bugged in this game, especially when playing a rogue, who relies on Dexterity and Cunning, rather than Dex and Strength. Plus backstabbing does not work with a bow.

I did some digging though and found a way to create multi-class characters using the console, as well as to change the class of an existing character. All of the codes are linked to in the little box named Console near the upper right of the page. So I went back to my first save of the archer character and changed her from a Rogue to a Warrior. Just like that her Attack Attribute went up by 10 points. You can use the console to add all the talent trees from Rogue to the Warrior, and vice-versa, including the specializations like Bard or Assassin. It still matters what class you "officially" are because that is what determines your starting stats, and how much health, stamina, etc... you get per level.

Multi-classing a mage is a bit tricker. The way the game is made Mages cannot use talents, and Warriors/Rogues cannot use spells. So you can use the console to add the Core Mage class, but it has no effect. However, you can still start with a Warrior or Rogue and use the console to add individual spells. They do not show up in your character sheet. But they do show up in the quick button bar at the bottom of the screen. You can move them around to different slots there as normal. They work just fine too, and use your stamina instead of magicka. I have not tried it, but you are supposed to be able to start with a Mage and do the same with Warrior and Rogue talents as well.

So you can create a mage who can pick locks and disarm traps, or a rogue who can cast spells, etc... I am going to play my newest character as a hybrid of all three this way, using the Warrior as a base for the better health and to hit scores. I have already added the stealth, lockpicking, and dirty fighting talent trees. I might specialize her as a ranger or a bard. I don't see her needing a lot of magic, but I might go with some healing or glyph spells.


Banba - my new Dalish elf Warrior/Rogue Arcane Archer

A profile view

She has big ears

Thanks for that data/info on DA:O! Now I know who to ask if I ever dust it off again.

Bambi Banba looks great! Not surprisingly, I love her big ears.

I do remember liking that Templar fellow quite a bit.

I have also been doing some digging on archery in DA:O. This page is all about how to uber out your archer and make them work. It all boils down to two things. Critical hits and high attack speed. Since many of the archer talents make your attacks take longer, it is actually better not to use them. For example, the Aim talent gives you a +10 or so to hit. But it also doubles the time it takes to shoot. You are better off shooting twice using no talents.

I just did some modding, and changed the Aim and Defensive Fire talents to remove their attack speed penalties. That should help make an archer more viable, without having to go through all of the exploits listed on the page (I don't like the idea of having to exploit bugs in the game just to make a character viable. Easier just to mod the game to make the character viable).

I am also using this mod that improves the stats of bows a little bit, but not overpoweringly so.

I am also using this mod to fix a bug with critical hits. Every character in the game has a base 3% chance of getting a critical hit. Except the player, who has zero chance. So unless the PC has a weapon that adds a critical hit modifier, it is impossible to get criticals. The mod gives the PC the same 3% chance as everyone else.


Edit: Today I found this mod, which speeds up all the bow talents to regular speed. I have not tested it with all of them yet, but I did test with Pinning Shot, Shattering Shot, and Critical Shot, and it works on those.

Thanks to this last mod, I have found that archery works well for me now. Banba is now the biggest damage dealer of the party (barely). She makes a devastating combo with Wynne, whom I gave Winter's Grasp and Cone of Cold. I start a battle with Banba stealthed, and Wynne leads off with Cone of Cold against the baddies as they charge in. That freezes several of them solid. Banba then shoots from stealth, which is an automatic critical hit. Frozen people shatter and automatically die when hit with a critical, so that scratches one baddie. By then the Cone of Cold is wearing off, so Wynne freezes another with Winter's Grasp. At the same time Banba uses the Critical Shot talent for another auto crit to shatter them. Just seconds into the battle, and two bad guys are down.

Wow, this game looks a whole lot better than it did on Xbox. There weren’t any patterns on the robes beyond colored sections. The faces had no details like moles or pores.

I beat the game once, but played every origin.

Banba is probably my favorite character of your, based on looks only. Big ears indeed. I like the face on the guy on the right side of the picture.

Banba looks great! I love her ears. Her look is perfect for her name!

Thank you for the exploits page. I have a console version, so no mods for me. At least now I’ll know why my vanilla archer is terrible!

Acadian: Alistar is very easy to like. Bioware is good at making likeable male sidekick characters, like Carth from KOTOR 1, or Atton from Kotor 2, or Kaidan from ME1.


King Coin: I am using an HD texture mod for the faces and eyes, so that is why they look so much more detailed. The rest is all vanilla though.

So far I have tried the Mage origin with an elf, the City Elf, the Dalish Elf, and the Dwarf Noble. So I still have not done the Commoner Dwarf, or the Human Noble.

The guy on the right in that picture? Ser Jory? He was a big doofus!


Grits: Banba does look very Irish doesn't she?

You should sell that console and stick to gaming on your PC, there is so much more you can do. Like fix broken games. That last mod I found that speeds up all the bow talents fixes archers. Banba has been a lot of fun, and even when using only archer talents she is very effective.



It is hard to get pictures in DA:O so I just have two.

A close up of Banba

The rest of the Scooby Gang

Yes, DA:O had a familiar Bioware feel to it that was in many ways comforting after spending so much time playing Bioware’s Baldur’s Gate II. I agree that Alister was quite flirt-worthy from Buffy’s perspective, though we didn’t get very far into the game. BG II had a paladin named Keldorn Firecam who, like Savlian Matius, was the noble, selfless and gritty real deal. Very easy to like, admire and be drawn to. His only problem for Buffy was that he was married with a daughter that was Buffy’s age! And the only romancable fellow in BG II was a total full-of-himself fop. Oh, and the BG character Minsc is legendarily memorable among those who played that game - he was strong, loyal, noble not quite as smart as the pet hamster that he carried around and talked to.

A nice close up of Banba, with those beautiful ears!

Her Scooby Gang looks like a good little group.

Who's that? I had Garrus!

I see what you mean about the faces and eyes. The rest of it isn't as good. You did make a pretty elf though!

Alistar's hair always bugged me. Looks out of place in a knights and magic RPG in my opinion.

Acadian: I never did play the Baldur's Gate games. I do have Icewind Dale laying around. I never got very far into it though. Maybe I will give it another whirl after DA:O though.


King Coin: Kaidan is the Biotic you start with. Garrus never did much for me. He seemed a little dull.

it is the hair on the male elves that disappoints me in DA:O. It is all too short and bland, like they are all living in the 50's. I like my elf manflesh to come with luxurious leonine manes, like Elric, not Gomer Pyle.


I am still playing DA:O, but have been thinking about continuing Persehpone. With that in mind I was looking over some outfits. But as usual, I am undecided.

Here are my top three. From left to right - Eisen Platte White, White Nightingale, and Triss Outfit.

The Eisen Platte and Nightingale have that nice exotic look that goes with a living dead adventurer. But the Triss Outfit also looks good, and has a more "just because I don't breathe, eat, sleep, or have a beating heart, it doesn't mean I am not a regular person too..." attitude.

I don't have pics with hoods on. Persephone always wears a hood when she is in town. It is how she goes 'undercover' as a living person. The Nightingale Armor has a nice hood that completely covers the head and face. Though it does look a little creepy and strange to be wearing it in town. The other two don't have anything, so I would have to come up with a matching hood from somewhere. A vampire hood or college hood might work with the Triss Outfit. The Eisen armor though, I am not sure at all. I would need to find or make a white hood or helmet somewhere.

The Eisen Platte has a really nice etched Gothic look about it, an a sort of scrimshaw look as well. I say go with that.

I’m not surprised that you once again hear the seductive siren call of TES.

Nice armor choices. Let’s see. . .
- Eisen Platte White – I'm with Rohirrim here. Hands down my fave for Persehpone. Classy, effective looking, and provides some contrast.

- White Nighingale - Too much of a sea of white, given Purse-Phone’s own pale coloring.

- Triss – As much as I love the Triss outfit, it very much evokes a warm-blooded elven ranger type character to me.

My vote goes to Eisen Platte as well. Triss just does not suit an undead character in my opinion.

Oh, I definitely prefer the Eisen Platte White. She looks beautiful in it! How does the white Nightingale hood look with the Eisen Platte armor?

I have the same feeling about the Triss armor. It evokes warmth and life in my mind.

I really like Persephone.

Thanks all. Given that everyone felt the same way about the Eisen White, that made it clear to me that it was the way to go. Now that I have beaten Dragon Age (I wish Pseron Wyrd was reading this, he loves talk like that... ) it is time to go back to Sky for a while. I must admit, it is really nice to be able to look up for a change.

Have you heard that The Gourmet is in Skyrim?

Persephone is wearing a new hood to disguise herself as a breather. She is wondering if Ri'saad sold his camp?

Stalking the Night

LOL nice hat. She looks all too serious with it. Perhaps she just left Hell’s kitchen?

That Khajiit doesn’t even have a box!

The last screen is pretty, but the blood on her armor makes it eerie.

Oh, what a funny chef’s hat P-9 has on!

The new hood adds even more mystery to Purse-phone.

Oooh, Stalking is a beautiful shot of the mountains and night sky. Percy looks so at home in the darkness. Her armor looks great – excellent choice.

King Coin: I actually like the hat. It is a little too big and fluffy though. It prompted me to go looking for mods that add berets. Sadly I could not find any.

I was thinking about that Khajiit in the box pic when I saw Ri'saad without his camp too!

I guess Silverblood blood takes a while to wash out. That pic was taken not long after she had killed Thonar Silverblood.


Acadian: I found the chef's hat while looking through headgear for Persephone. I just could not resist at least one pic with it. The new hood comes from an Assassin's Creed mod. Grits's Velvet Cloak's mod has a nice grey cloak that would go perfectly with it, except that the cloak shows a hood that is thrown back hanging down the back. Which looks kind of strange when she is wearing another hood over her head!

P-9 is definitely at home in the darkness. It is the stars that power her Ayleid-Stone heart after all.


Persephone came across a group of friendly Forsworn, and if that was not odd enough, the next thing she knew two Nord kids showed up and tried to sell her some information.

Darryl is a master of Kung-Fu

Showdown vs Hevnoraak

P9 is debating whether or not she should kill this slimy little man

Lots of odd occurrences in your games recently. Aravi has a hard time killing anyone that doesn’t offer her a fight. Except vampires…

Hevnoraak… I only just found him last month.

Despite his slime, he’s one of the few shop keepers that has a personality.

The night sky in your first screen is simply gorgeous!

Battling Druglords! Hard to tell which is Darryl!

Showdown is a spectacular magic display.

Yikes! It looks like a few more seconds of that stare from P9 will easily kill that fellow.

King Coin: I did not think there were vampires that didn't attack you. Except perhaps Serana. But then she is not a real vampire anyway. She's just a Nord with a script.

I still remember that Hitler killed Belethor, in the same game where he took an arrow in the knee and had to become a guard...


Acadian: Darryl is the one on the left in that pic. He lost his sword after one of the bad draugr used a Disarm shout on him. I sometimes have trouble telling him from the other draugr at times too, especially the Deathlords, who look exactly like him.

Showdown was a fun fight. The bad guy had a staff of lightning wall, which made those sparks all over the place.


This one has coin, if Khajiit has wares...

Later the next day, Persephone caught up with Khajiit on the road again.

Persephone now has a lair

Don't look now kid...

"We are Grey. We stand between the darkness and the light."

On the road again.

‘Coin’ really captures the arctic flavor of the land and how well PursePhone fits into it.

‘Later’ = Herding cats!

That is quite the lair! Not bad for a dead girl!

Supervising the child’s first anatomy lessons.

Grey is a great shot showing off P-9’s armor, hood and cape – the whole ensemble looks so perfect for her.

On the road again. Looking for more Khajiit!

Of course it would be the one in the Pale!

Did you build decks all round? The two I can see are Armory and Storage, which make sense for her, but I don't see her needing all the extra beds.